Lary Myler, founder and CEO of By Monday, INC., wrote on Forbes.com that "it's a lot less expensive to keep a current customer than to acquire a new one.” In order to run a successful private practice, you've got to have patients, and one of the most important ways you can build strong relationships with your patients is through trust. Your patients rely on your practice's expertise for chiropractic treatment, so it is important that they know they can rely on you. More and more large-scale offices are turning to steep discounts and specials to attract more patients. Because many private practices already charge both fair and average rates, discounts are unnecessary. Let's go over how your practice can establish trusting relationships with patients without having to rely on countless deals and discounts.
Consistency Is Key
Don't get me wrong, it is perfectly okay to offer specials or discounts on specific products or procedures, but if you want your business model to be effective, you can't offer them on a constant basis. If you offer too many deals too regularly, your costs can increase which will lead to financial difficulties down the road.
Furthermore, establishing trust with your patients will take more than discounts. Your patients need to feel that your practice will treat their health issues effectively, and at a fair price. Studies show that consumers view customer service as a sort of test to see how much the company values their business. In today's world, the majority of people look up a business online before they visit, including doctor's offices, making websites an absolute must in order for a practice to be successful. It is a necessary tool for your practice to communicate information about your services and products with current and future patients. However, if the patient discovers that the practice doesn't offer a specific service or doesn't follow through on their web content, he or she is more likely to leave the practice. A great website needs to provide consistent and informative content that matches the core values of the practice in order for patients to find it trustworthy. With accurate information, your patient will feel in the loop and not as if they've been cheated when they arrive at your practice.
Stay Active Online
There's more to building a trustworthy brand than just creating a website. Your practice can have an account on all the social media platforms out there, and still not rank high in Google searches. That means your prospective patients won't be able to find your practice's website online, unless they type in the exact name. In some cases, a private practice will have their website established, but not maintain it, meaning no website or blog post updates. So, when the client does find the website, there isn't any current or relevant information to the present time. Websites that aren't maintained mean they also won't have current reviews, which pushes patients away from the site. Without any updated content, the prospective patient will feel the practice is outdated or not on top of things, causing them to look elsewhere.
We have found taking the time to build and maintain a strong online presence is a great starting point for building a brand your clients will find to be trustworthy and worth their business. Have any questions for tips on website building or maintenance? Contact us for advice!